


High Score

by RainxnxRoses



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: 80s, Crushes, Cute, F/F, Pacman - Freeform, Rivalry, Teen Romance, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 03:46:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7205996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainxnxRoses/pseuds/RainxnxRoses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"With every step towards the machine, Bella Dewey could feel her anger and frustration build up more and more.She couldn't wait to blast this unfashionable narc. But when she came only  half a foot away from the culprit, she froze, the boiling anger shriveled up. The internal burning sensation was taken over by a warmth that spread throughout her body. Imaginary Butterflies burst out of her stomach and fluttered around the person that stood before her."</p>
            </blockquote>





	High Score

Toxic hairspray, the smell of burnt arcade pizza and boom boxes blasting Madonna and Michael Jackson defined Beach City’s best days of the summer. School was done and kids were spending their deserved free time out and about from daylight until 5 minutes before dinner. Some were skating, others catching waves, but many were enjoying their time at the always entertaining, Funland Arcade; where girls and boys wasted hours and hours and hard-earned quarters on games with simple stories and pixel graphics. 

Bella Elizabeth Dewey, the mayor’s daughter and darling of Beach City, was among the group of arcade regulars, but she was not going today for a good time of fun and games. Oh no, today was about getting serious. No time for playing around for this thirteen-year-old. Today, Bella Dewey was finally meeting her secret rival, her quiet opponent, the person that had been making her summer a living hell since the 4th of July. This was the day that she was going to face “PRL” in a final one-on-one match, to determine who is the true ruler of the ultimate game of the 80s; Pac-man.

Ever since the enormous machine had been shipped into the arcade at Bella’s party for her eighth birthday,she was hooked. Playing as soon as she had finished homework and staying until her father’s bodyguards came and forced her off the machine, Bella had become attached to the flashing colors and catchy music. She had beaten the high score of some teenager 4 months after the game first arrived and was owner of the number one spot on the list ever since, only ever beating herself. Others had come close after asking for her help of course. But no one had been able to move down her flashing name on the top score screen. That is until her opponent came along.  
It had happened while she and her family were at her grandfather’s estate for the annual Dewey family reunion. Bella knew she would come back to the arcade a little rusty, but not to such a heart-breaking bombshell. The classic 3-letter name “BLA” that had stood at number one triumphantly for almost 5 years had been conquered by a “PRL”, with a score that Bella wasn’t even sure was possible. 

Her friends told her that the mysterious champion came in and out in a flash, staying for only 20 minutes at the machine before quietly walking out of the arcade, silent as a ninja. Nathan Fryman said he could only see their backpack, covered in rose petals with a keychain of G.A.L.S. Even working at the front desk, Harold Smiley couldn’t catch a good glimpse, hoping that the privately crowned winner of Pac-Man would turn around in excitement of their victory. But before he could catch another peak, they had vanished and hadn't returned to Funland Arcade ever since.

Bella had spent every waking moment trying to beat the new score and tracking down its owner. Sadly, both had reached a dead end of failure. The number was unreachable and not having a name or description made it pretty hard for the teen to find the identity of her rival. She began to wonder if the score was a mirage from the blazing heat or if her friends had witnessed a ghost playing arcade games.  
Just when she was about to give up and willingly accept her defeat, Harold called.

“Yo Dewey, you gotta get over here at the arcade,I see the rose petal backpack! You better get here quick!”

Never had Bella run out of her house and down to the arcade in record time. Anyone else would have been exhausted but Bella was invigorated from adrenaline and anger.

Stomping into the arcade, the only sense she had was sight, strong to find the rose petal backpack. Greetings from other kids and the smell of the burnt pizza could not take her eyes off the prize.  
She finally found the wretched backpack, resting against the side of the game its owner had conquered. It was like finding the final piece of the triforce, the last and most important item before facing the final boss. Now that Bella had found it she was ready to face the boss head on, who she could see took the likeness out of and legwarmers and tights way too far.  
“Ugh so tacky”

With every step towards the machine, Bella Dewey could feel her anger and frustration build up more and more.She couldn't wait to blast this unfashionable narc. But when she came only half a foot away from the culprit, she froze, the boiling anger shriveled up. The internal burning sensation was taken over by a warmth that spread throughout her body. Imaginary Butterflies burst out of her stomach and fluttered around the person that stood before her.

Only with a side view, Bella could tell that the girl was astounding. The strawberry blonde hair that was restrained by a pink scrunchie looked soft to the touch, her bright blue top glowed under the neon lights of the arcade,and the stockings and tights Bella originally panned couldn’t have looked better against the girl’s pale skin. What pulled Bella in the most were her hands. They were elegant. Her fingers were long and slender as if they belonged to a ballerina. They danced across the control panel, performing and moving in sync with her wrists that wore a number of jingling bracelets. The girl’s style of grace and delicacy contrasted from Bella’s strategy of button spamming and aggressive joystick flicking.

Bella wasn't sure how long she was frozen. Seconds, minutes, or even hours had passed before she thawed from hearing the familiar but upsetting noise of a game over. She peaked from over the side and gasped. The high score was now taken over by one almost twice its size and Bella starting to wonder if the girl was magical or some hacker. The infamous “PRL” was shining brightly above its previous win, and mocking “BLA” who was moved down to the third spot. But instead of anger, all Bella felt was amazement. 

Speaking of the possible supernatural girl, Bella couldn’t see her. Almost fearing that she vanished again, Bella frantically looked everywhere. It wasn't until she looked down that she met the strawberry blond ponytail that somehow appeared even shinier and softer.   
After putting her backpack on, “PRL” stood up to face Dewey, or more so looked down at her. As Dewey watched her rise up from her knees and ultimately looked up to face her, she was now more or less convinced that this girl was magical. 

Bella realized that the girl was wearing headphones, which she could faintly hear playing “Bette Davis Eyes”, a song that Bella never thought could accurately describe someone. But here they were, right above her eyes.

Her blue eyes were soft and stern but also electric. Bella could have sworn that there were small lighting rays that speckled across her iris. Like any other cheesy love movie of her time, Bella couldn’t help herself from being lost in them.

The girl’s eyes coordinated well with the rest of her appearance. Her posture was perfect and confident, her legs positioned in a familiar stance of ballet. Her nose long nose matched, poised and pointy. She had the delicate stance of a porcelain doll with the energy of a soldier.   
“Yes?” She softly spoke, barely parting her lips.

The infamous “sweaty” Dewey gene was becoming apparent for the first time in Bella and her forehead began to dampen as her hands became uncomfortably clammy.

“May I help you?” She asked. The girl started to wonder if the inaudible, unresponsive person in front of her needed medical assistance.

The usual outspoken, over dramatic, rowdy Bella Dewey couldn’t utter a single sound in trying to respond to the girl’s questions. The only thing she could do was flail her arms around to form words.   
Just when she had the power to muster up a simple ”Hello”,  
“HEEEYYY PEARL!”

Pearl tilted her head up to look behind Bella in acknowledgment of her name being called. Bella quickly turned her body to face the entrance of the arcade where she saw two unfamiliar girls on scooters. One was tall and had hair in two big puffs, attached to blue and red bow clips on each side of their head.The other was much smaller and seemed at least three years younger. She had purple colored pigtails that Bella was ascertain came from a hairspray bottle, though it did adorably match the young one’s overalls.

Pearl smiled and waved to her friends. She looked back down at Bella and pouted, bummed that she never got to hear her introduce herself. Pearl knew how nerve-wracking meeting a new person could be and how hard it was to make a good impression. Although, she was sure she would see the quiet girl again at some point.

Pearl tapped Bella’s shoulder, who quickly turned back around with big puppy eyes that almost made Pearl’s heart melt.

“Hey. I have to go” Pearl announced

She could feel Bella’s heart breaking as she saw her face frown.  
“But hey! Maybe I’ll see you around? I’m always at Danny’s on weekends.”

Bella could only nod and smile, but Pearl knew that the reassurance of them meeting again really meant something.  
“Well...goodbye.”

Before Bella knew it, Pearl had quickly vanished again, riding off somewhere with her friends with the rose-petal backpack that brought her to Pearl. She stood there dumbfounded, in the middle of the arcade floor, unsure what to do next or for the rest of her life. 

Pearl. her name was Pearl. “PRL” who was the bane of Bella’s Dewey existence just 10 minutes ago, had turned into the girl that had left her speechless. Her name was Pearl. She had won the game of Pac-Man and had quickly won Bella Dewey over. Her name was Pearl, and Bella couldn’t wait for them to meet again

**Author's Note:**

> This was my entry for 80s day of Pewey week. I'm sorry if it seemed very cheesy but honestly the 80s were a pretty cheesy and sappy time. I definitely want to do more with these do in the future, so hopefully I don't get writer's block every week.


End file.
